The foldable loom project aims to develop an educational design-make tool that promotes and preserves cultural heritage and craft practices. The project seeks to preserve and promote a traditional craft practice, by introducing an accessible and innovative tool within education. A key objective of this project is to present a product that merges technology and heritage craft, indicating a positive impact from technology towards our crafts heritage. The foldable loom is created by textile designer Teresa Georgallis, co-founder of Threading Stories studio. The project has received funding from the Research and Innovation Foundation, as part of the Innovation Vouchers Program.
The project methodology involves interactive prototyping which is a common practice in product design. The production of the foldable loom required several activities within the TMS digital fabrication and rapid prototyping workshop, along with testing and production in the traditional wood working station. With the support of the TMS team the work was developed in three stages; the creation and final formulation of the 3D model, the testing and assessing of the usability and functionality of the initial prototype and finally the revision and refinement of the product samples. The result is a tool that targets the arts education sector and the design-make community.
Project description by Teresa Georgallis
The foldable project seeks to develop an educational design-make tool that promotes and preserves cultural heritage and craft practices. The project started in 2012 in the UK with a small production of looms for school children. Fast forward to 2023, the project took a different dimension and the initial 3D modelling drawings where developed and produced. Currently the project has expanded into a series of working prototypes presenting a product that merges technology and heritage craft, whilst demonstration the potential in small run local manufacturing.
The project methodology involves interactive prototyping which is a common practice in product design. The work was developed in three stages; the creation and final formulation of the 3D model, the testing and assessing of the usability and functionality of the initial prototype and finally the revision and refinement of the product samples. The production took place in a digital fabrication lab, a wood workshop, a weaving studio and used local services for rapid prototyping. The result is a tool that targets the arts education sector and the design-make community.
The table loom is a traditional craft tool used in textile design, fabric production and sampling. Our aim was to create a product that is accessible and inclusive and can be operated in various environments such as schools, workshops, design studios, universities and research organisations. Through our collaborations, we aim to demonstrate the use of various technologies and the potential for local productions. Finally, the project aims to exhibit a successful example of the merge of innovation and tradition and the significance of interdisciplinary knowledge exchange.
We would like to thank the following collaborators for their invaluable contribution to this project :
Thinker Maker Space of CYENS Research and Innovation Foundation Eva Korae, Makers Will Make Visual Sociology and Museum Studies Lab, Cyprus University of Technology Studio & Lab Savvas Avraam Harris Looms
